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“It says so much about who you are, who you’ve become and who you’ll be in coming years,” Lewis said as he spoke Wednesday at the 38th annual Patriots Day program at Convention Hall.

Lt. Col. Herbert Carter, one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, was scheduled to speak, but was hospitalized and unable to attend.

Lewis, already planning to attend the luncheon with Carter, spoke. He graduated in 1964 from Tuskegee University, where he enrolled in the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps and met aviation pioneer Alfred “Chief” Anderson, who was the chief flight instructor and mentor to the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II.

Lewis has logged 6,600 hours of flight time and flown 54 different aircraft.

He has retired and now serves as chairman and chief executive officer of Air Tuskegee Ltd. and Global One Jets. He also owns historic Moton Field, where most of the Tuskegee Airmen learned to fly.

“I have a passion for aviation,” he said.

Lewis said it was not necessary to teach the Tuskegee Airmen about patriotism.

“Thank you to the Tuskegee Airmen, but thank you to the greatest generation,” he said.

Russell is a veteran of Vietnam and received two Bronze Stars for valor. He later was an assistant football coach and teacher at Emma Sansom High School and spent short stints at other schools. He was principal at Gadsden High School and later became superintendent of Gadsden City Schools.

Junkins has been probate judge in Etowah County since 1989. Before that he served as director of the Gadsden Public Library and served two terms in the state Legislature. He is affiliated with several organizations through Etowah County.

Page served as a Marine in Vietnam and earned several medals. He was discharged at the rank of sergeant and was a teacher, fighter and small business owner. He served as state representative in District 29 and received several awards.

Stansell served in Korea as a medical airman with the 25th Infantry Division. He received a citation for performing his job without regard to his own personal safety. In 2009, he was inducted into the Etowah County Sports Hall of Fame.

Collier served with the First Marine Division during World War II. He was deployed to Guadalcanal and after that went to Peleliu and then to Okinawa. Collier became an engineer after the war and became Gadsden’s first planner and engineer.

Please see Veterans | A5

Veterans

Continued from A1

Davis volunteered for the Army in 1941 and went through Airborne Infantry and jump school. He was assigned to the 75th Division and was shipped to France. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was wounded. He received the Combat Infantry Badge and four battle stars.

He was recalled to the Korean War in 1950 and served as company commander of the 1st Calvary Division. He earned two battle stars.

Weston was in the Army Air Corps in 1942 and was discharged in 1945 after serving in Europe, North Africa and Italy as an aircraft electrical specialist.

Christopher enlisted in the Army in 1943 and was deployed to Italy as a replacement, joining Company G, 2nd Battalion, 30th Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division, known as Rock of the Marine. He saw combat in Rome and Anzio in Italy and in southern France. He was wounded in the invasion of southern France and discharged in 1945. He received the EAME Campaign Medal, Bronze Stars, a Good Conduct Medal and a Purple Heart.

Smith entered the Navy in 1944 and was assigned to the USS New York after he attended gunnery school. He went to Iwo Jima, where his ship was the first to fire at Japanese kamikaze planes. His crew bombed the island for three days to soften it up for the Marine landing. He was discharged in 1946.

Vinyard joined the National Guard’s 31st Dixie Division in 1939. In 1940, the Guard mobilized into the regular Army, and he was assigned to the 601st Military Police Battalion and deployed to North Africa. His duty was to guard German prisoners. He later was deployed to England, where he helped train soldiers.

Bailey joined the Navy in 1942 and was assigned to the Aviation Utility Squadron 2 in San Diego, whose job was to support the Seventh Fleet. From Honolulu, he went to New Hebrides Island, and the squadron made stops at Guadalcanal and Peleliu. He moved on to Hollandia, New Guinea, the island of Biak and Leyte in the Philippines.

William Leon Benson, James M. “Jack” Sims and F.M. Addison were inducted posthumously.

Benson joined the Navy in 1943 and was discharged in 1946 as an SC2/C. He saw action in a practice invasion for Omaha Beach, where German torpedo boats attacked the LSTs. Five weeks later, he participated in D-Day.

Sims enlisted in the Army in 1940, becoming a member of Headquarters Troop, 28th Ordnance Co., 6th Calvary. He was involved in the Utah Beach amphibious landing on D-Day in 1944. His unit joined with the III Corps in the Battle of the Bulge. He was under Gen. George S. Patton’s command when he was wounded in action. He earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Service Star.

Addison was drafted into the Army and inducted into the Co. G. 1st Infantry Division in March 1944. His destination was the European Theater, and he fought in battles such as the Ardennes, the Rhineland and in Central Europe. He was wounded in Belgium in 1945 and awarded the Purple Heart, a Silver Star and two Bronze Stars. He was discharged in 1945.

Gadsden City High School’s Junior ROTC posted the colors. Jessica Herrera, Miss Gadsden State Community College, sang the national anthem.

<p>The way Gadsden honors its patriots says a lot about the city, Col. Roosevelt Lewis Jr. said.</p><p>“It says so much about who you are, who you've become and who you'll be in coming years,” Lewis said as he spoke Wednesday at the 38th annual Patriots Day program at Convention Hall.</p><p>Lt. Col. Herbert Carter, one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, was scheduled to speak, but was hospitalized and unable to attend.</p><p>Lewis, already planning to attend the luncheon with Carter, spoke. He graduated in 1964 from Tuskegee University, where he enrolled in the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps and met aviation pioneer Alfred “Chief” Anderson, who was the chief flight instructor and mentor to the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II.</p><p>Lewis has logged 6,600 hours of flight time and flown 54 different aircraft. </p><p>He has retired and now serves as chairman and chief executive officer of Air Tuskegee Ltd. and Global One Jets. He also owns historic Moton Field, where most of the Tuskegee Airmen learned to fly.</p><p>“I have a passion for aviation,” he said. </p><p>Lewis said it was not necessary to teach the Tuskegee Airmen about patriotism.</p><p>“Thank you to the Tuskegee Airmen, but thank you to the greatest generation,” he said.</p><p>Inductees this year to the Patriots Hall of Honor include Bobby G. Russell, Bobby M. Junkins, John G. “Jack” Page, Robert Dewey Stansell, C.B. “Red” Collier Jr., Charles “Chuck” E. Davis, Lacy U. Weston Jr., James M. Christopher Jr., Thomas Harold Smith, Arnold D. Vinyard and Harold Thomas Bailey.</p><p>Russell is a veteran of Vietnam and received two Bronze Stars for valor. He later was an assistant football coach and teacher at Emma Sansom High School and spent short stints at other schools. He was principal at Gadsden High School and later became superintendent of Gadsden City Schools.</p><p>Junkins has been probate judge in Etowah County since 1989. Before that he served as director of the Gadsden Public Library and served two terms in the state Legislature. He is affiliated with several organizations through Etowah County.</p><p>Page served as a Marine in Vietnam and earned several medals. He was discharged at the rank of sergeant and was a teacher, fighter and small business owner. He served as state representative in District 29 and received several awards.</p><p>Stansell served in Korea as a medical airman with the 25th Infantry Division. He received a citation for performing his job without regard to his own personal safety. In 2009, he was inducted into the Etowah County Sports Hall of Fame.</p><p>Collier served with the First Marine Division during World War II. He was deployed to Guadalcanal and after that went to Peleliu and then to Okinawa. Collier became an engineer after the war and became Gadsden's first planner and engineer.</p><p>Please see Veterans | A5</p><p>Veterans</p><p>Continued from A1</p><p>Davis volunteered for the Army in 1941 and went through Airborne Infantry and jump school. He was assigned to the 75th Division and was shipped to France. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was wounded. He received the Combat Infantry Badge and four battle stars.</p><p>He was recalled to the Korean War in 1950 and served as company commander of the 1st Calvary Division. He earned two battle stars.</p><p>Weston was in the Army Air Corps in 1942 and was discharged in 1945 after serving in Europe, North Africa and Italy as an aircraft electrical specialist. </p><p>Christopher enlisted in the Army in 1943 and was deployed to Italy as a replacement, joining Company G, 2nd Battalion, 30th Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division, known as Rock of the Marine. He saw combat in Rome and Anzio in Italy and in southern France. He was wounded in the invasion of southern France and discharged in 1945. He received the EAME Campaign Medal, Bronze Stars, a Good Conduct Medal and a Purple Heart.</p><p>Smith entered the Navy in 1944 and was assigned to the USS New York after he attended gunnery school. He went to Iwo Jima, where his ship was the first to fire at Japanese kamikaze planes. His crew bombed the island for three days to soften it up for the Marine landing. He was discharged in 1946.</p><p>Vinyard joined the National Guard's 31st Dixie Division in 1939. In 1940, the Guard mobilized into the regular Army, and he was assigned to the 601st Military Police Battalion and deployed to North Africa. His duty was to guard German prisoners. He later was deployed to England, where he helped train soldiers.</p><p>Bailey joined the Navy in 1942 and was assigned to the Aviation Utility Squadron 2 in San Diego, whose job was to support the Seventh Fleet. From Honolulu, he went to New Hebrides Island, and the squadron made stops at Guadalcanal and Peleliu. He moved on to Hollandia, New Guinea, the island of Biak and Leyte in the Philippines.</p><p>William Leon Benson, James M. “Jack” Sims and F.M. Addison were inducted posthumously.</p><p>Benson joined the Navy in 1943 and was discharged in 1946 as an SC2/C. He saw action in a practice invasion for Omaha Beach, where German torpedo boats attacked the LSTs. Five weeks later, he participated in D-Day.</p><p>Sims enlisted in the Army in 1940, becoming a member of Headquarters Troop, 28th Ordnance Co., 6th Calvary. He was involved in the Utah Beach amphibious landing on D-Day in 1944. His unit joined with the III Corps in the Battle of the Bulge. He was under Gen. George S. Patton's command when he was wounded in action. He earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Service Star.</p><p>Addison was drafted into the Army and inducted into the Co. G. 1st Infantry Division in March 1944. His destination was the European Theater, and he fought in battles such as the Ardennes, the Rhineland and in Central Europe. He was wounded in Belgium in 1945 and awarded the Purple Heart, a Silver Star and two Bronze Stars. He was discharged in 1945.</p><p>Gadsden City High School's Junior ROTC posted the colors. Jessica Herrera, Miss <a href="http://www.gadsdentimes.com/section/TOPIC0201/"><b>Gadsden State</b></a> Community College, sang the national anthem.</p><p>Gadsden police officer Wayne Hammonds played taps to conclude the program.</p>